Idiom
fly in the ointment
Meaning
Something (especially a minor thing) which ruins or spoils everything else, or makes it less pleasant; a nuisance or problem; a disagreeable or unpleasant detail.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The rain was the only fly in the ointment for our picnic.”
“A slow internet connection is the only fly in the ointment at this office.”
“His bad attitude is a fly in the ointment during our team meetings.”
“The hotel was beautiful, but the noisy construction next door was a real fly in the ointment.”
“The new apartment is perfect, but the lack of parking is a fly in the ointment that makes me hesitate to sign the lease.”
“We planned a great party, but the fact that the cake never arrived was a disappointing fly in the ointment for the host.”
“Everything about the merger seemed perfect, yet the sudden discovery of hidden debt proved to be a significant fly in the ointment.”
Examples
simple
“The rain was the only fly in the ointment for our picnic.”
“A slow internet connection is the only fly in the ointment at this office.”
“His bad attitude is a fly in the ointment during our team meetings.”
contextual
“The hotel was beautiful, but the noisy construction next door was a real fly in the ointment.”
“The new apartment is perfect, but the lack of parking is a fly in the ointment that makes me hesitate to sign the lease.”
“We planned a great party, but the fact that the cake never arrived was a disappointing fly in the ointment for the host.”
complex
“Everything about the merger seemed perfect, yet the sudden discovery of hidden debt proved to be a significant fly in the ointment.”
Origin
A reference to Ecclesiastes 10:1 in the Bible (King James Version; spelling modernized): “Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doeth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour.”
Key words
Related idioms
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